Car manufacturers took a major hit with facilities damage from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March, but Toyota predicts it will be able to shake off adverse effects and get back to 100 percent of North American production in September. [More]

We’ve gone far beyond that “check engine” light now: Toyota has created a social networking function for its cars so you can friend it on Facebook or have it Tweet you when the gas is low or just chitchat about shoes with it. Because you know, checking the gauge when you’re actually in the car would just be too much work. [More]

From 2005 through 2007, the state of California made a pretty tempting offer to get drivers behind the wheels of hybrid cars: Buy one and you’ll get a sticker that allows you to cruise in the carpool lane without having to have that annoying other passenger (or mannequin) next to you. It was like a VIP pass on the highway. But those halcyon days are about to end. [More]

Plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit against Toyota over sudden unintended acceleration won a minor court battle on Monday when the judge in the case ruled that owners of the recalled vehicles can sue the car maker for economic loss because they may not have gotten what they paid for. [More]

The Toyota recall parade continues with the announcement of a recall of approximately 214,000 of its 2007 and 2008 model year RAV4 and 94,000 of its 2008 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles due to faulty roll-over sensors in their side airbag systems. [More]

In a wacky team-up worthy of a comic book crossover or a buddy cop film, Microsoft and Toyota are joining forces in a $12 million initiative that will grant Toyotas the ability to stream music and connect online to information services, along with other superpowers. [More]

Did you get enough basketball this weekend? Good, because now it’s back to the more important tournament. And in today’s early bout, two international titans of terrible step into the ring to square off! [More]

At the request of regulators, Toyota is recalling an additional 2.17 million cars dating back to 2003 to deal with concerns over stuck gas pedals that could lead to out-of-control acceleration. And with that, it looks like NHTSA, the National Highway Transportation Administration, has shut the books on the unintended acceleration issue. [More]

Looking around the internet, there is often a thin line between editorial content and advertising. It’s not surprising to go to an entertainment blog on a Friday to not only see that the page has been skinned with an ad for a new movie but also a gallery of that movie’s star or a fluff interview with someone in the film. But some mommy bloggers say they’re not willing to cross that line by accepting a $10 gift card in exchange for writing a positive story about Toyota. [More]

The Dept. of Transportation has completed its investigation into the causes of sudden unintended acceleration in some Toyota vehicles and found no evidence that an electronic glitch could be responsible. [More]

Another big recall for Toyota. This time the car maker is recalling a total of 245,000 Lexus IS and GS vehicles in the U.S.because of a possible problem with the fuel pressure sensor installation. [More]